Malay Magic

290 REPTILES AND REPTILE

290 REPTILES AND REPTILE CHARMS CHAP. shroud and afterwards used for tying it up when the corpse has been wrapped in it. If a man is caught by the " Exhausters of all Resources," he has a fair chance of escape; if caught by the "Debateable" teeth his escape is decidedly problematical ; but if caught by the " Tearers of the Shroud," he is to all intents and purposes a dead man. Whenever it effects a capture the crocodile carries its victim at once below the surface, and either tries to smother him in the soft, thick mud of the mangrove swamp, or pushes him under a snag or projecting root, with the object of letting him drown, while it retires to watch him from a short distance. After what it considers a sufficient interval to effect its purpose, the crocodile seizes the body of the drowned man " and rises to the surface, when it calls upon the Sun, Moon, and Stars to bear witness " that it was not guilty of the homicide " Bukan aku membunoh angkau, Ayer yang membunoh angkau" Which, being translated, means " It was not I who killed you, It was water which killed you." 1 After thrice repeating this strange performance, the crocodile again dives and proceeds to prepare the corpse for its prospective banquet. Embracing the corpse with its "arms," and curving the tip of its 1 The question of the mental attri- same time, it is credited with strong butes ascribed to the crocodile is one common sense (since it is known to of great interest, as it is credited by "laugh" at those misguided mortals Malays with a human origin. It is " who pole a boat down stream" no less not alleged to shed tears over his than the tiger which " laughs " at those victim ; but, as the above account who " carry a torch on a moonlight shows, it is far from insensible to night "), and also has a strict regard for the enormity of manslaughter. At the honesty. ( Vide infra. )

v MAN- EATING CROCODILES 291 powerful tail under its own belly (until the tail is nearly bent double), it contrives to break the backbone of the victim, and then picking up the body once more with its teeth, dashes it violently against a trunk or root in orcler to break the long bones of the limbs. When the bones are thus so broken as to offer no obstruction, it swallows the body whole thus affording a remarkable parallel to the boa in its method of devouring its prey, and recalling Darwinian ideas of their cousinhood. Miraculous escapes have, however, occasionally occurred. Thus Lebai 'Ali was caught by a crocodile at Batu Burok (Kuala Selangor), one evening as the tide was ebbing, and the crocodile, after smothering him effectually (as it thought) in the thick mud, retired to await the end. Insensibly, however, it floated farther and farther off with the falling tide, and Lebai 'Ali, seeing his opportunity, made a bold and successful dash for freedom. A similar case was that of Si Ka', who was pushed under a bamboo root on the river bank by the crocodile which caught him, and who, after waiting formidable enemy had floated a little farther off than usual, drew himself up by an overhanging stem and swarmed up it. At the same moment the crocodile made a rush, and actually caught him by the great toe, which latter, however, he willingly surrendered to his till his enemy as the price of his liberty. A yet more marvellous escape, was that of the youth belonging to the Government launch the time- at Klang, who escaped, it is related, by honoured expedient of putting his thumbs into the crocodile's eyes. In connection with this latter exploit, by the way, Malay authorities assert that the crocodile's eyes protrude from their sockets on stalks (like those